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Lily’s Got Cattitude

Becca Adams shared the following story with us about meeting her beloved feline companion Lily at a time when she least expected to adopt a cat.

The story of Lily actually begins 18 years ago, when I met the first love of my life at the SPCA in Virginia Beach, Virginia: a domestic shorthaired cat named Rassa. For 17 happy years, Rassa was my companion, partner in crime and best friend. He was diagnosed with cancer in December 2011. We discussed our options with the vet, and decided to make him comfortable for as long as he maintained his quality of life. Never one to enjoy a change of scenery, he seemed to agree. Rassa left us in March of last year, which is when Lily’s story begins.

My husband was out of town on business when I said goodbye to Rassa, so a friend came to stay with me. We stayed active, and during a day trip, she suggested that we stop by the SPCA. I told her I was not ready. The next day she suggested the same thing, and remembering a spring day 17 years earlier, I decided to go, but under no circumstances would I adopt an animal.

The Richmond SPCA is absolutely wonderful. There are two huge cat playrooms with large tunnels and hiding spaces and, for the more reserved kitties, large, private condos. I walked past Lily twice, thinking what a beautiful cat she was. A predominantly white calico with one blue and one green eye, Lily seemed rather interested in me. My mom had calico cats and they definitely had a fair share of “cattitude,” so I kept going.

My friend said she’d found the perfect cat for me. Thinking, “yeah, yeah, sure,” and feeling a bit guilty, I agreed to meet this perfect cat. Of course, Lily came prancing into the room. She walked right over to me, jumped in my lap and gave me a healthy head butt in the face. She looked me square in the face and sat down in my lap.

Two hours later, Lily and I were headed home.

She’s been with us for exactly a year, and has “adopted” two other rescue cats as her babies. I couldn’t imagine life with another cat a year ago, and now I can’t imagine my life without Lily.